BSG President and Vice President Candidates- Mackey and Szalapski

by Breonnah Colon - Lifestyles Editor

Wed, Mar 21st 2018 02:00 pm

With The College at Brockport Student Government elections fast approaching, it may seem as if there isn’t much time to fully digest what’s going on. While the campaign may be far from the minds of many students, especially with midterms and spring break coming up, it’s certainly one of the top priorities for the campaigners. One such individual is freshman Tyler Mackey. Despite only being in his second semester on campus, Mackey optimistically looks forward to leaving a positive mark on campus, something he views to be of utmost importance.

Mackey holds the notion of progressive thinking very dear to his heart, aspiring to help the Brockport community flourish through better development and maintenance of relationships between students and faculty alike. He believes the establishment of these relationships, “for the sake of relationships,” would help to address the lack of diversity that has been prevalent not only on the Brockport campus, but on different college campuses across the nation.

“[The different activities available to students on campus] really shows that Brockport is more than just a college, it’s a community,” Mackey said. “That’s the idea that we’re all trying to hammer in.”

Mackey wishes to help his community in several different ways. Along with putting an end to academic holds on student accounts for financial issues without first notifying students they are at risk for a hold, he wishes to implement complete reliance solely on renewable energy across the campus, as well as introduce 24 hour services at the Drake Memorial Library. With these campaign goals, Mackey hopes to uphold his participation in signing the college’s Better Community Agreement.

Mackey believes what sets him and his campaign partner apart from other teams running for office is his emphasis on renewable energy. He believes this focus will serve as a way to not only benefit students directly on this campus, but also work to help the planet as a whole through the conscious effort of combating climate change.

Despite this being his first academic year at Brockport, Mackey has been working toward serving the community since his first semester. Volunteering his time to serve BSG, Mackey is no stranger to the goings-on of the student government system.

With similar progressive views, Mackey’s campaign partner Jacob Szalapski helps to provide insight on aspects of the campus and college life that Mackey may not be as familiar with as a first year student. This is what helps the duo stand out from their opponents, according to Mackey.

“My vice president is a senior here,” Mackey said. “I think he’ll help make up for my lack of experience on this campus.”

Students may not exactly be aware of it, but elections are coming up much sooner than later. Perhaps it would be in the general body’s best interest to become familiar with those who are working to represent them next year. That being said, for those who are looking for a more progressive and inclusive environment, Mackey hopes to secure the vote.